


So Much Less, And So Much More

by Esteliel



Category: Lord of the Rings (Novel)
Genre: Ardor in August 2009, M/M, Threesome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-14
Updated: 2009-11-14
Packaged: 2017-10-02 18:25:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Esteliel/pseuds/Esteliel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A storm drives Elladan to seek shelter in a cave with his lover - and with one who betrayed him a long time ago.</p>
            </blockquote>





	So Much Less, And So Much More

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Ardor in August 09 for the following request:
> 
> Pairing = One of the twins plus your pick of some of the following: the other twin, Erestor, Glorfindel, Gildor, Lorien brothers, any of the men  
> Story elements = gloves, hair pulling, choking, an unknown past event, threesome (or moresome), wind, fire; all main characters equally strong and complex in their own ways (i.e. no 'little scribe' or puppy dog-types)  
> does_not_want = fluff, mpreg, silliness or unrealistic psychological/emotional behavior. Subtlety and timing are the essence of drama.
> 
> Beta'd by Sian, thank you so much for your help! *hugs*

 

The day had been unbearably hot, and so Elladan had ridden out early in the morning, before the heat of the sun reached even his father's remote valley and made its inhabitants search out the cool waters of the many pools and waterfalls.

Elladan had no mind for play today; he was seeking a few hours of solitude in a high place where the cool wind could reach him, which would finally bring lightning and thunder this evening, and rain for the thirsty soil. Half a day's ride had brought him higher up into the mountains to a ledge that could only be reached by a small path, but which widened to a comfortable size for his horse to while the day away while Elladan read in the shadow of a linden tree. The grass was high and sweet here, offering soft bedding for Elladan and food for his horse, and despite the precarious position of the ledge halfway up the side of a sheer cliff, several trees had grown roots in the sparse soil and stood tall and strong despite the wind and the force of the elements that hit the unprotected ledge with full force.

The horse stretched its neck in relief when Elladan took off the bridle and saddle, snorting once before it ambled off to bury its head in the fresh, verdant green that had not been grazed short like the meadows around his father's valley. Elladan stretched as well and took the waterskins to put them into the shade. There was a cave a little further up the small path that led to this ledge, and Elladan had claimed it as his long ago, stocking it with tinder and dry wood, grain and hay for his horse, and dried provisions for himself. There was a bottle or two of his father's best red there as well, Elladan remembered and smiled as he lovingly freed the tome he had brought from its protective casing of silk and oiled leather. The heat was such that he knew there would be rain this evening, thunder and lightning accompanying a much longed for drop in temperature, but until then the precious tome would be quite safe out here in his hands.

He read for what might have been two hours or three, so absorbed in the book that he did not even pay attention to the merciless sun's journey over the bright blue sky. Here, even the heat felt good on his skin, for there was a breeze that cooled him so that he stretched with pleasure like a sun-basking cat, instead of feeling miserably damp with sweat as he had in his rooms at home.

When he put the book aside at last, he went to take a deep draught of cool water, stretching once more in pleasure at what promised to be a perfect day. The heat would break at last this evening; he would wait out the rain in his cave, and then, when the air was sweet and clean afterwards, ride home – or spend the night here and ride home come morning, if it would prove to rain too hard and long.

And then – mayhap already tomorrow evening – there would be Orophin. Beloved Orophin, he thought, tasting the words, wanting to laugh in sheer exhilaration at how lucky he had proven in love after all, when at first he had thought himself cursed and felt naught but shame at his first taste of love.

Yet there was Orophin now, sweet, beautiful, honorable, strong Orophin. Sensual Orophin who was ever willing, and who, despite his age and experience, made Elladan not feel like a youth but like a man when he was by his side.

“I miss him,” he sighed aloud, aware that he was completely alone in this place, and - with an impatient glance at the mountains that parted him from his beloved - pulled off his clothes, resting naked on the soft grass while the sun heated his skin. Soon the rain would come, he thought idly when he felt the wind gain in force. Small white clouds were driven across the sky, and when he turned his head to look at the mountain peaks far above him, he saw the clouds gathering there. In time, they grew in size and volume until they seemed almost as high as the mountains themselves, hiding the snowy peaks from his view as they grew darker, heavy with rain and a barely contained power he could taste on his tongue. Not as long as he had thought, then... Quickly, he gathered his clothes, and then wrapped the book in silk and oiled leather once more, calling the horse to follow as he strode up the small path that led to the wood-covered plateau and, more importantly, to the cave that would protect both the stallion and the precious tome.

“Come, Romru, there is sweet hay,” he promised when the stallion snorted in discontent at having to leave the fresh grass behind. “Water, too, though only what I could carry in my skins. Yet you will be able to drink your fill ere long, and be glad to be inside too, I would wager.”

He hobbled the stallion just to be safe, for though Romru was a war-horse used to the clash of battle, a thunderstorm here in the height of the mountains could scare even the heart of the bravest warrior when the thunder rolled and roared between the peaks like the wrath of Morgoth must have long ago. Two of his waterskins he emptied into a small basin to tide Romru over until the storm would bring more, then added a handful of oats to sweeten his confinement.

“I will be back soon, and keep you company. The storm will break in little more than an hour, perhaps even earlier... Do not be scared,” he said, and the stallion turned away as if in contempt. Elladan laughed and gave Romru's muscled croup a pat, then left once more for the heat of the sun-bathed ledge.

The wind was slowly growing stronger, and though it was still hot, every now and then the sun was covered by clouds which grew ever more numerous, until at last the earlier bright blue sky had become a gray, morphing mass towering ominously above him.

Elladan took a deep breath when he realized that even during this short amount of time, the temperature had plummeted drastically. He felt overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of what was happening above him, and he laughed into the wind in awed exhilaration, praising Manwë, the lord of air, for the wild, overpowering beauty of it.

And just like that, the wind started. Gusts of such force blew that the birch to the left of him was pressed half-way to the ground, the long branches driving through the air like the tails of a whip, the air filled with the rustling of leaves swelling to a roar so that even the sound of Elladan's laughter was ripped from his lips and carried far away by the wind.

Then the rain came. One fat drop burst on Elladan's upraised face, then another, and with no further forewarning, the dark clouds released their heavy cargo. The rain fell with such force that from one moment to the other, the rocky soil upon which he stood had soaked up all it could hold of the precious liquid, and the water gathered in quickly growing puddles that spilled over into rivulets.

Elladan spread his arms, his naked body battered by the force of the wind and the warm rain that had his long hair soaked as soon as it had started. In front of him, lightning rent the air, a flash of light so bright that the shape of it burned itself into his eyes, and he could see the jagged line of wild energy parting the heavens even on the inside of his lids. He waited, waited, breathless with delight, and then the thunder came with a loud boom that reverberated between the mountains, rumbling and rolling as ominously as a troll hurling mighty stones at his enemies.

Elladan was smiling as he stood and watched the forces of nature clash and collide with unimaginable power, providing a spectacle for him to marvel at. He knew that he was save on the ledge, for he had weathered many storms here already; the few trees had grown close to the mountainside, and if a bolt of lightning sought an aim, it had so far unerringly chosen one of the large trees growing on the plateau overhead.

So he stood and watched in safety, the sweat and the scent of the sun washed from his overheated skin by the rain that was so warm that he felt no cold despite the gales of storm. At last, the storm moved on; the rumbling of thunder came from a distance now, and the flashes of light came from far beyond the neighboring peak.

With a contented sigh, Elladan thought of the wine he had saved, the smoked meat and well-wrapped book waiting for him, and went back to the cave to dry himself. Romru had finished his oats and the water he had poured him, so Elladan affectionately scratched the stallion's head and took up the empty waterskins to fill them once more from one of the many overflowing pools between the rocks.

This time, he chose to go upwards, as the small path had changed into a rushing, mud-brown river, from which neither Elladan nor Romru would drink with pleasure. It was not an easy journey upwards, as the stones to the side of the water-filled path were wet and slick with mud and moss. Yet Elladan persevered, as he had promised Romru the water, and once he reached the top of the plateau, he was glad that he did. For there right before him stood a wet, exhausted horse, its coat red as fire, and such he had once named it as well.

“Naru!” he said in surprise, for the red palfrey was the last creature he would have expected to see in the midst of the storm. The horse nickered and gratefully bumped his head against Elladan's chest as if glad to find someone he could trust to bring him to safety, and then Elladan's heart clenched with fear when he saw the headstall, the empty saddle, and the leg Naru refused to put to the ground.

“Ai, Naru, what happened?” Just the last summer he had given the slender stallion to Orophin...

“Where is your master, Naru? Did you slip and throw him? Ai – Orophin!” he called, grasping his hair in despair as he looked around. However would he find him in this storm? And who knew how far Naru had run... But would the horse abandon its rider, even if frightened by the storm? Naru was slender and gentle, bred for pleasure rather than war, but his heart was courageous and of utmost loyalty. Indeed, Elladan had given Naru's sister to Arwen, so pleased had he been by the result of his breeding, and despite their slender stature and docile temperament, not once had these horses ever shied from danger and brought harm to a rider.

“Blessed Elbereth, however will I find him in this? Only let him be unharmed...”

Tried warrior Orophin might be, but the state in which he had found Naru promised the worst – and even a proven warrior could not defend himself against lightning or a falling tree.

“Orophin!” he called again, without hope to hear a response, and had turned already to scramble back down the narrow path to get Romru when he was hailed from a distance. There, through the silver curtain of the still heavily falling rain, a gray charger now appeared from between the trees, bearing on his back two figures spattered with mud and soaked to the bones.

“Elladan! Elbereth be praised!” Glorfindel exclaimed once they were closer, and Elladan could see for himself how obviously tired and disgruntled both warriors on the charger's back looked – disgruntled, but safe and healthy. Elladan breathed a sigh of relief and stroked Naru's head in reassurance.

“And I can see that you found that cowardly beast – he led us a merry chase,” Glorfindel added coldly, and now Elladan could see that both took care to touch each other as little as possible, impossible though that task was in their position. “Why someone would take that filly through the mountain pass I will never understand...”

“Ai, why would you say such a thing?” Elladan interjected. “I do not know what happened, but I would never doubt Naru's courage... I bred him myself, and indeed Arwen rides his sister on her journeys to the Golden Wood. Nay, I cannot believe that he would desert you from fear!”

“Indeed he did not,” Orophin said frostily, sliding from the horse's back in obvious relief to escape the forced closeness. “He threw me, aye, but even Lord Glorfindel's horse reared when the bolt of lightning hit the tree right next to us, though he is bred for battle, I am told. That I slipped and the Lord did not was but bad luck, or mayhap testimony to my lacking skills in horsemanship, naught more. And that poor Naru ran when we reached this plateau – if run you can call it, as he can only limp – why, it seems that question is answered. He must have known somehow that you were close, and I am glad indeed that he found you. We are badly in need of a rest, especially Naru; and as you can see I ruined the only fine clothes I own when I chose to tumble right into a ditch filled with nettles and mud.”

“But you are well!” Elladan said, his heart expanding with glorious relief, and rested a hand against the fair, though mud-streaked cheek. “Never mind about those clothes – I shall give you another pair or two, to sit through my father's feasts. But when I saw Naru, I expected the worst...”

He drew Orophin close for a quick, hard kiss, ignoring Glorfindel and the sound he made. For a moment, he kept his arms wrapped around Orophin, their foreheads touching, breathing in the reality of having his beloved in his arms once more.

“Forgive me for causing you worry,” Orophin said softly. “I wanted to surprise you by arriving early, and so I chose to press on when I should have waited out the storm.”

“Mayhap next time, despite your obvious _eagerness_, you will show enough sense to travel with the protection of some guards, as is proper,” Glorfindel scoffed, so that Orophin straightened and turned to face him, his expression carefully empty though he stood straight and stiff.

“I might not have your power or your fame, _lord_, but I have served the Golden Wood for centuries, and do not need to prove myself as if I were a green recruit. My Lord Celeborn has not once had reason to doubt my prowess with bow or knife, and certainly sees me as just as able to defend myself as the messengers that habitually take this same route. I would appreciate it if you would at least show me the same courtesy you show those messengers.”

“Yet those messengers come on sturdy horses bred for those mountains, and wear clothing appropriate to the journey, instead of journeying in bright silks on an inexperienced palfrey... But of course, it is not my place to judge whose presents you accept, so please accept my apologies.”

Orophin's mouth narrowed in displeasure at the mockery that was all too apparent in Glorfindel's words, yet he chose to accept Glorfindel's apology with a curt nod and then turned back to Elladan, his mien brightening with mirth when at last he allowed himself to observe his beloved's still naked, wet body.

“I can see that like myself, you chose to wear your best clothes for our meeting,” he said mischievously and laughed when Elladan's eyes widened in realization.

“Ai, I forgot... I was enjoying the sun and then, the rain. There was little reason for clothes, as this place is so remote. But come, you need to rest and dry yourself, and I want to look at Naru's foot. There is a cave I have furnished somewhat just around that bend. Be careful, for the ground is slippery, but the horses should be able to manage. Come, Naru, there is sweet hay and oats waiting for you,” he then encouraged the exhausted horse and with a firm grip on the reins, led them down the muddy path.

Inside the cave, he built a small fire to drive out the dampness, and gave them blankets to wrap themselves in while their clothes dried. He shared his stock of food and wine and while they ate, rubbed down Naru with a handful of hay and then slid his hand down the right foreleg, examining the swelling. The slender stallion stood patiently, trustfully allowing the prodding, and when Elladan had finished his examination, gently nibbled on his hair until Elladan gave him the promised oats. Romru came closer then as if to see whether there would be a share for himself as well, but in the end he stood close to the smaller horse as if to protect him, nibbling at his mane now and then, a service which Naru gladly reciprocated once his handful of oats was gone.

With the horses cared for and dozing, Elladan returned to the fire. He had put on tunic and breeches once more, and now sat down next to Orophin, wrapping an arm around his waist. “He will be fine. Some liniment and a week of rest, then he will have all but forgotten about this.”

Orophin sighed in relief. “I was worried... I have never been given a finer present. He has become a good friend, and I could not bear the thought of parting from him now.”

Elladan ignored Glorfindel's mocking glance and looked at where the two stallions stood together in peaceful friendship. “I am glad you have become such friends. I have never bred better, and there is no thought that gives me more joy than to know him with you when we are apart.”

“I never thought I would make much of a horseman,” Orophin said, laughing, “but as always you have been proven right. We are well suited to each other, and even my brothers have stopped teasing me about this lordly gift – even though, as you can see, sometimes others are still wont to deride his merits. But as you well know, there is little need for a charger such as yours in the Golden Wood. We do not ride out to war in full armor; we defend our realm with the Lady's help, and with the help of our bows. Such has sufficed for more than an Age now, and in truth the rides for pleasure beneath the boughs of the mellyrn suit him and me much more.”

“How glad I am that you are back with me,” Elladan exclaimed, his heart filled to bursting with happiness to have Orophin close and safe.

How strange a fate had befallen him, that first he should have thought himself in love with someone who could not even show him the courtesy to gently rebuff him, but instead had hurt his heart in the worst way – even though he had been little more than a youth then, and should certainly have deserved more consideration.

And yet, time had passed, and impossible though it had seemed then, it was all but forgotten now, at least on Elladan's side. There was a lingering sadness mayhap when he looked at Glorfindel, and disappointment tinted all their interactions, for despite Glorfindel's much lauded deeds, Elladan could not help but remember what had happened, and know that what Glorfindel had done had been unworthy of a man such as he.

Glorfindel could be a hero no longer to him – but still he was his father's most competent captain and deserved respect for his experience. But more than that... No. More than that, Elladan could never again feel for him. Still, he was an adult now, and beyond a child's dream of vengeance. The good of the realm demanded that he and Glorfindel work together, and do it with courtesy, and that Elladan had done every single day so far.

He had thought that Glorfindel would at least be able to show the same dedication, and yet, ever since he had first returned from a trip to the Golden Wood with Orophin by his side, Glorfindel had made no effort to disguise his dislike of the Silvan archer. Elladan tried to tell himself that it was but another disappointing side of a man who had already proven himself to be much less than he had been purported to be – and yet, Elladan truly loved Orophin, and so this latest failing of Glorfindel was the one that rankled the most.

Elladan could, if not forgive, then at least live with the slight of himself – that one and only night in Glorfindel's bed which had been so disastrous – but he would _not_ live with the slighting of his lover. Orophin might not be of noble birth, yet he had behaved with far greater nobility than had Glorfindel, Elladan thought bitterly, and he deserved none of Glorfindel's cold looks or mocking words.

He wrapped his arm around Orophin, and they sat like that for a while, content to be close once more. He would have liked to kiss him, to simply touch him as much as was possible and proper, but thinking of Glorfindel's derisive glance he refrained even from that much, although he had not seen Orophin since spring, and then their schedules had only allowed them a week together.

Even so, simply being close was good, and more than enough for now, he thought, and leaned his head against that of his beloved. Orophin was so lovely; but far more than his physical beauty, what Elladan loved most about him was how easy it was to be with him. If Elladan might once have thought that he would never trust another with his heart again, Orophin had quickly cured him of that fear. It was easy to love Orophin, it seemed to come as naturally as breathing, and it was a deep affection untainted by petty jealousies or insecurity. This was the kind of love he had once hoped for from Glorfindel, but where fate had denied him that love and gave him the first great pain of his life, it had brought love to him at last in the form of the flaxen-haired, slim warden who was quick to smile and to laugh, and who was able to trust and believe in him to a degree that still awed Elladan, and made him aspire to the same.

To Orophin, it did not matter that Elladan was the grandson of his own Lord and Lady, nor could his love be shaken by the many voices who thought him plotting to elevate his own station, or to abuse Elladan's generosity. It was not naiveté either that had him unaware of those issues – Elladan feared that Orophin knew all to well what was said about him by some; and yet despite all of that, Orophin had not once allowed himself to be influenced by it. Instead, he chose to believe that what was between them was true, and untainted by greed or politics, and thus had accepted Elladan's gift of Naru without falling prey to doubts about whether Elladan desired to buy his affection with costly gifts.

Elladan knew how lucky he was to have won such courageous, selfless love, especially when he had first known the opposite, greed and lust cowardly disguised as finer feelings. He was young still, but he prided himself on having learned his lesson – never would he take such love for granted; instead he would strive with all his might to return it with the same honesty as it was given.

“Tomorrow we will have finer food, and finer surroundings,” he said at last, though he would have been content with even less, now that Orophin was by his side once more.

“But not finer company,” Orophin answered with a smile, both knowing that they were thinking the same. He pressed Elladan's hand to make up for the caresses he would not bestow in front of Glorfindel, then began to deliver greetings from his brothers, and tales of the latest events in the Golden Wood. Later, when Orophin had stood, wrapping the blanket around himself more tightly to spare Glorfindel the sight of his nude body, Elladan wondered whether he should chance a conversation with Glorfindel. After all, what had happened was in the past, and as much as his memories saddened him, he did not see why Orophin should suffer from Glorfindel's dislike as well for a reason that had nothing to do with him. But then Glorfindel turned away from him to instead glower at where Orophin stood, slender, pale body painted red and yellow by the flames of the fire, and Elladan resigned himself to cold enmity.

Late that evening, when they had bedded down for the night – Glorfindel sullenly near the front of the cave, Elladan and Orophin towards its back – he breathed in the scent of sweet woodruff and lime flowers that clung to Orophin's hair, rousing his body with the need of too many months without the warden by his side. And why should he be forced to suppress it one more night, he thought suddenly, when Glorfindel himself had never thought to spare their feelings? Orophin would just have to make certain to stay quiet...

With a wicked smile of anticipation, he slid on one of his riding gloves, the doe skin worn so thin and smooth that it felt like silk. When last they parted, Orophin had used a silken glove to tease him, and Elladan felt only too ready to return the favor now. Slowly, he ran one leather-clad fingertip down Orophin's nape, following the ridges of his spine, so that Orophin shivered, roused from his sleep with a gasp when Elladan's hand moved to his front to brush against a nipple. Elladan laughed softly to himself at the instant reaction, thinking about doing this when they were safely ensconced in his rooms, when he could have Orophin at his mercy and tease him to incoherence – but for now, this would suffice.

“Silence,” he admonished softly, laughter in his voice, “you do not want to wake him, do you?” Orophin bit back another moan, the hard muscles of his stomach flexing when Elladan's hand slowly moved downwards, grasping Orophin's already half-hard length in a firm grip. Even through the leather of the glove, Orophin seemed hot enough to burn him, and idly Elladan wondered what it felt like to be stroked by the silken leather. Good enough, he could judge from Orophin's fast breathing and the little sounds he could not quite suppress – but certainly different. Not like his hand at all – maybe not so different to the touch of a stranger?

“What does it feel like?” he breathed into Orophin's ear. “Are you imagining that it is a stranger touching you? Someone you do not know who has come upon you in your sleep? Maybe someone you do not even like... Maybe it is Glorfindel?” he suddenly added, voice hitching at the force of arousal that swept through him at the outrageous thought of how these two would look together. Lovely, but... oh so very impossible.

Orophin thrashed beneath him, their blanket almost slipping off them, and Elladan realized that he had gripped him more tightly than he had intended at the sudden, surprising image that had sprung up in his mind. Orophin spilled himself with a breathless moan, and Elladan shook his head at himself, for he had wanted to draw out this game and tease Orophin a little, whose reactions to everything he did never ceased to fill him with pride and love.

But it was too late for that now, he chided himself, kissing Orophin's cheek in remorse until his lover, still panting for breath, had regathered enough of his senses to turn to his side and take his mouth with unabated hunger.

Then, through the haze of pleasure and want, he heard Glorfindel get up, and he could almost feel the waves of disgust and anger that rolled off him. With a sigh, he released Orophin.

"That was not very politic... but pleasurable," his beloved mouthed and grinned, then nodded towards the Elda's bristling presence. "Go on, tell him that we are sorry. He truly should not ride out in this weather."

"Well, I am not. Sorry, that is," Elladan amended, mouth tightening stubbornly, but at Orophin's raised brow he got up with another sigh, swearing softly when he realized that his state of arousal would be only too obvious to Glorfindel, who would certainly take it as yet another personal affront. It was beyond him how someone of Glorfindel's age could be so prudish, despite his reputation of having a vast appetite for the finer pleasures of life - but those, Elladan thought grimly, might be lies, as so many other things about him had turned out to be.

He wrapped another blanket around his waist, feeling ridiculous, for there was not much space for modesty in the company of warriors; and Glorfindel, experienced as he was, should be the last to act like an affronted maiden. Still, he would apologize, and maybe then they could spend the night in peace and safety, here in the cave.

Glorfindel stood near the horses, as he had thought, angrily gathering his tack in the sparse light of the small fire. Elladan bit back a sigh at such childish behavior but molded his face into a polite mask as he advanced.

"Did we disturb your rest? I am sorry, that was not our intention, truly. You should spend the night here; the storm has not abated--"

"Yes, that would please you, would it not?" Glorfindel hissed and turned around, his face a grimace of such uncharacteristic rage that Elladan almost took a step back. "What will you give him as payment for this special performance then, another horse? Jewelry this time? Do you think I did not hear you and your... _catamite_?"

With a sound of rage, Elladan swung at him without thinking, and Glorfindel gladly met his attack so that the force brought both of them to the ground, each frantically scrabbling for a hold on the other, Elladan yelling when Glorfindel fisted a hank of hair and savagely pulled at it. Fueled with anger and pain, Elladan managed to roll them around and pressed one arm down across Glorfindel's throat, choking him until the Elda let go of his hair.

"How dare you? Orophin is worth a thousand of your ilk... How dare you besmirch his name after what you did to me? You have _no_ right to say a single word of judgment, not when you send your own lovers to seduce and discard all those unfortunate enough to hope for your attention! The only payment Orophin asks for is love, which is something the like of you will never experience!"

“Are those the lies you tell yourself about me?” Glorfindel wheezed, and Elladan let go of him with a sound of disgust, angry at himself for letting the Elda provoke him.

“You behave like a child, Captain,” he said coldly. “You feel nothing for me, I have had to make myself accept that a long time ago. Yet I am my father's heir, and you would do well not to forget the respect that is my due - _even from you_! To come to you when I was little more than a youth was a mistake, I know that now, and I have tried to forget it and moved on. Can you not do the same? Is this perceived insult truly so great? That you could not even tell me yourself that you did not want me - I have lived with that humiliation for so long, and never once failed to show you the courtesy due a man in your position. But if you cannot do the same, _Captain_, then I fear that something will have to change.”

“Change?” Glorfindel laughed in disbelief, one hand at his throat. “What are you trying to say, Elladan – are you blaming me for not joining in when you seduced my lover _in my own bed_? When I had watched you and loved you since you had grown old enough to join the patrols? Are you blaming me for that pain? What humiliation there was you brought on yourself by readily agreeing to the propositions of one you should have known to be false. But I guess that did not matter to you, did it? Whether you had him or me or some stranger – or someone known for his wantonness like your willing Silvan guard, even. I would have thought better of you, Elladan, but I have had to live with that disappointment a long time, so do not dare to belittle me for my unwillingness to witness your so-called _love_, which I know is designed to mock me.”

“What?” Elladan threw up a hand in surrender when Glorfindel made to get up. “No, do not bother to find excuses for your actions, I do not even know what you are talking about. I see that is impossible to try and talk with you – hiding behind lies is unworthy of you, Glorfindel the _beloved_, but that, too, is a disappointment I have had to learn to live with.”

The flames flickered higher, painting Glorfindel's face into a red-gold mask of grief and pain and rage, and Elladan suddenly felt tired, as if a wound he had thought long since healed had broken open again. He looked towards the fire and saw Orophin feeding the flames with new wood, and he yearned to be alone with him – the only one he had ever told the details of what had happened that night when he had nervously dared to go to Glorfindel's rooms.

“I just wish I could understand why you would do such a thing to me,” he said tiredly. “I know that I was newly come to adulthood then, still little more than a youth in your eyes, and completely inexperienced in matters of love. I know now that it was little more but hero-worship that made me fall for you so hard, but fall for you I did, Glorfindel, even if you seem to think it an insult. If you could have but gently told me that you did not want me... It took all my courage to go to your room. I did not know what to expect, but I did know that I could trust you, that you would never hurt me.

“And yet I was hurt that night. I should have said no to Helegon, but after he gave me your message I was shocked and confused, and I was still so young then. There was physical pleasure, yes, but it was not what I had wanted, and afterwards, I felt sick with shame. And he lost no time bragging to others about how he had taken the virginity of his Lord's heir...”

“That was all he ever wanted,” Glorfindel said in disgust. “He thought to use my position, my fame, which is why I cut off all ties to him... Wait!” he then said when Elladan's words finally caught up with him. “What are you telling me? That is not what happened! I most certainly never gave him a message for you, I had just ended our relationship the previous day!”

“Are you calling me a liar?” Elladan demanded, bristling at the perceived accusation. “I do not know what you have told yourself happened that day, but it is certainly something I am never going to forget! He gave me your message, and they were... cruel words.” Elladan looked down, unable to meet Glorfindel's eyes when he remembered his humiliation. “I was shamed, and hurt, and then I was so angry at you, because I _trusted_ you, Glorfindel! I trusted you not to hurt me, even if it would turn out that you did not want me... I hated you then, and he took good advantage of that fact. That was the only reason I let him touch me; I truly did not want him, not really, and whatever you might think of me, I have never let another use me in such a way again afterwards. Orophin could not care less about my station, and in any case, his heart is far nobler than all my father's lords together.”

“Sweet Elbereth, Elladan, how can you think I would do such a thing? I am no monster, no matter what you believe! I did not give him a message; I did not even know that you came to my rooms! I was outside in the gardens, trying to think of a way to approach you that eve, because your behavior had made me think I might stand a chance to win your affections. That was the reason why I ended our relationship the day before, that and the fact that Helegon kept trying to make me use my influence for his advantage.

“And when I returned at last, my heart full of words to woo you with, I was greeted by knowing glances and snickering, and the whispered tale of how Helegon had seduced our Lord's heir _in my own bed_... Ai, how could you do such a thing to me?” Glorfindel exclaimed, all anger gone as he looked at Elladan at last with love and pain. “To humiliate me in such a way... and to give yourself to him, whom you did not even know, who cared naught about you and wasted no time to brag about his conquest...”

“Elladan did no such thing to you,” Orophin said calmly, stepping up to them at last with goblets filled with wine in his hands. “Can you not see what happened? Elladan did not give in to Helegon from uncaring wantonness, or because he wanted to humiliate you – he did it from pain, because he thought himself betrayed! 'Tis Helegon who lied to you both, and who used you most grievously, Elladan. I loathed him ever since you first told me of how he took advantage of you then, but if I am to meet him now, I will give him the thrashing he deserves, and no one will stop me!”

In the flickering firelight, Orophin's eyes flashed with anger, and Elladan drew him down to where he still knelt in front of Glorfindel, wrapping his arms around him for the comfort his presence brought.

“I am glad you did not send him to give me that cruel rejection,” he said softly. “I could never bear to think you so false, when you had always been the ideal I strove after...” He sighed, then gave Glorfindel a hesitant smile. “I am glad.”

There was a long silence, and for once, Elladan did not know what to say. They both knew the truth now, but did that change anything? _Could_ it change anything? He had Orophin now, whom he loved, whereas Glorfindel he had only thought to love, and whom he had never truly known. And still he could not stop himself from thinking about him, for he had loved him almost for as long as he could think...

Glorfindel downed his wine in the silence as if he were seeking courage, and Orophin readily stood to get the bottle of wine again, filling their goblets once more. Yet he did not sit down in Elladan's embrace this time. Instead, he strode towards Glorfindel, wearing the beauty of his naked body with the same pride and confidence as he wore his armor, and when Glorfindel looked up, eyes widening at the vision before him, he gracefully lowered himself onto Glorfindel's lap, weaving his fingers admiringly into the famed golden tresses.

“Wha-” Glorfindel's voice broke, and he swallowed. “What are you doing?”

Orophin tilted his head to the side as if in thought. “Seducing you. Do you mind?”

Glorfindel gaped. “But – will not _he_ mind?”

Orophin shrugged elegantly. “I think that actually, he would enjoy it. Or are you still loath to touch Elladan's paid-for catamite?” His eyes gleamed with mirth when Glorfindel first paled and then blushed. “No, I do not want your apologies – you can make up for it by showing me whether those rumors about your prowess are but tales, Lord Glorfindel. Are you not in the habit of taking up almost any offer?”

“And what a lovely offer this is,” Glorfindel said hoarsely, unable to resist. He leaned in to brush his lips against Orophin's throat, breathing in his scent – their mingled scent, he realized, Orophin and Elladan and their passion, and almost moaned with sudden need. He looked up then to give Elladan a questioning look, who nodded, licking his suddenly dry lips as he watched the scene before him play out in the flickering light of the fire.

Orophin moved slowly and sensuously against Glorfindel, one hand stealing down to open the loosely tied breeches, the only garment Glorfindel had pulled on before storming to his horse. He moaned softly in satisfaction when Glorfindel's freed erection rose proud and hard to rub against his own length, forcing a breathless groan from Glorfindel, and then, with a sudden twist, he forced Glorfindel to the ground. Elladan almost laughed at the shock and then grudging respect in Glorfindel's eyes, for beautiful as Orophin was, lithe and slender like all the Silvans, he truly _was_ a guard who had given the Golden Wood countless years of service.

“Do you think you can subdue me, warden?” Glorfindel asked, raising a brow, and then used his superior strength to wrestle Orophin onto his back, staring down into his laughing eyes with smug satisfaction. “Are you afraid of getting what you asked for? You wanted a proof of my prowess – and you shall have it.” He looked up again, staring directly into Elladan's eyes, his pupils wide and dark with desire as he moved purposely against Orophin.

“Prepare me,” he then commanded and knelt back, then grabbed a fistful of Orophin's hair to pull him down by it to face his swollen length. Elladan groaned softly, closing his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again he saw Orophin working to take all of Glorfindel into his mouth, making hungry little sounds as he tried to swallow around him.

Elladan bit back a curse when he realized that he was touching himself, stroking in the rhythm of Orophin's talented mouth, and when Glorfindel gave him a heavy-lidded look of desire and daring, pulling Orophin's mouth closer by his hold on his hair, Elladan jumped up and hastened to where he and Orophin had bedded down earlier. With a pot of salve clutched in trembling fingers he returned, and while Glorfindel continued to give him gloating, challenging looks while he made good use of his lover's mouth, Elladan quickly smeared some of the salve onto his own aching length.

He cried out once as he sheathed himself inside his lover, panting against his back at the onslaught of sensation. Orophin always felt good, but this was quite another thing, to be with his lover _and_ Glorfindel, to watch Glorfindel's face transformed with pleasure, to hear the wet, arousing sounds Orophin made as he drew on Glorfindel's length...

He clutched the slim hips, forcefully pushing deeper and deeper while Orophin's muffled groans spurred him on, his lover's thighs spreading as far as possible to take him deeper, harder, greedily taking everything Elladan had to give until at last it was too much and Elladan came with a garbled cry. For a long moment, he could do nothing but gasp for air, his body shaking with the force of his release. When he at last found the strength to move off Orophin, he found that Glorfindel had pulled his lover up and now impatiently forced him to turn around, sheathing himself inside Orophin's body while Elladan watched in helpless lust. Orophin's eyes were closed and he arched back against Glorfindel, trembling like a taut bowstring as he was filled to the limits of what he could take, invaded again and again while his body jerked in Glorfindel's merciless grasp. Elladan crawled towards him then, breathlessly taking his face into his hand, breathing kisses and endearments into his hair, against his cheeks, his lips, unable to think of anything but how _lovely_ Orophin was...

He took hold of Orophin's shaft with one hand and then lowered himself to taste him, drawing his tongue up and down the hard length until Orophin trembled at his teasing. Elladan eagerly closed his lips around the head that was already salty with the taste of his lover, hungrily lapping up the beads of clear essence welling up from the small slit. Only when he had reduced Orophin to incoherent begging did he slide down at last to take all of the hot, hard length into his mouth, swallowing around him while Glorfindel's forceful thrusts made his lover push in and out of his mouth. How long it took he could not say, only that he had never seen Orophin so abandoned, so vulnerable as he trembled in Glorfindel's arms, absolutely powerless before the pleasure they both chose to visit upon him. And when he found release at last Elladan eagerly swallowed all he had to give, wrapping his arms around his hips to hold him close as he slumped almost insensibly while Glorfindel spilled himself with a loud groan, his thighs trembling with the need to hold both of them up until Elladan gently helped to lower the both of them to the ground.

It took a long while until one of them could move again. At last it was Orophin who groaned and tried to raise his head, only to slump down against Elladan's side once more. “I would stand to fetch a blanket, my Lords, but in the light of what we just did, I would truly prefer it if one of you could do so.”

Glorfindel raised himself with a frown. “Shall I look for that salve as well? Elladan must have put it down somewhere close...”

“I am not harmed, just... in need of some rest,” Orophin said, and Glorfindel's eyes gentled.

“Well-deserved rest at that.” He stood to get a blanket and, at second thought, also their bedrolls, helping Elladan to maneuver a sleepy, though amused Orophin onto it. After a moment's hesitation, he joined them as well, and Orophin eagerly turned against him, smiling when he felt Elladan and Glorfindel's arms touch in their embrace of him.

“Do not look like that,” Orophin gently admonished. “This is not as complicated as you might think. This is nothing.”

His words brought a frown to Glorfindel's face, and Orophin yawned once before he drowsily continued. “This is not an end. But more than this, you cannot know. The hero-worship of Elladan's youth is gone, and you, Lord, do not even truly know him as an adult. To get to know each other – there is time for that. Let us take it as that, as a beginning, and see where this road may lead in time.”

“I would like that,” Glorfindel said softly, and Elladan raised himself onto his elbows to gently kiss first his lover, and then, at long last, Glorfindel, the shining hero of his childhood who had proven to be so much less, and so much more.

**Author's Note:**

> romru - sound of horns  
> naru - red  
> Helegon: from heleg


End file.
